I don’t want to be a soccer mom!

My memories on the soccer field as a child are grim. I was the worst player on the team so the coach stuck me in the least-desirable position, fullback. It was my job to stop the other team from making goals and most often I helped rather than hinder them. My teammates screamed at me, which led me to burst into tears.

So when I got a call from a mom inviting Paris to be on a soccer team, my stomach churned. I was friendly, of course, and I even said, “Sure, we’d love to be on the team,” but when I set down the phone, I panicked.

I called my husband. “They want Paris to be on a soccer team. There’s no way I’m subjecting her to that misery.”